A few points of interest:
I grew up in New Brunswick, and I've entered the US from that border crossing at St. Stephen/Calais hundreds of times. Not once was my car ever stopped and checked; normally it goes like this:
"Good evening, sir."
"Where are you coming from?"
"What is your destination?"
"What is your reason for entering the United States?"
"How long will you be staying?"
"Are you carrying any alcohol, tobacco products, or firearms?"
"Enjoy your stay in America, sir."
That's it. The questioning lasts at most for a minute or so.
From what I've read, they held him for over three hours, did a full search of his vehicle, confiscated his weapons, but ultimately had to let him go because they had no cause to detain him. As silly as that sounds in hindsight, at the time he wasn't wanted for any crime, and he was a US citizen. They had to let him enter the country -- if he was Canadian or another nationality they could have denied him entry, but they couldn't do that to an American.
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